Ines Sun

This past September, artist Ines Sun was teaching Chinese calligraphy in a large outdoor tent in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. As one of the park’s 2023 Artists in Residence, the Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist demonstrated nature-based characters and traditional posture, breathing, and brushwork with a deft hand and grounded presence, seemingly undisturbed by the strong winds that would periodically lift participants’ paper from their tables. With an enthusiastic and nonjudgmental instructional style, Sun’s teaching was less about commanding her pupils and more about the power of suggestion, as if pointing out a beautiful vista that they might care to enjoy. In a welcoming atmosphere of artistic grace and play, students of all ages dropped into the moment to experiment with their designs. This public engagement is crucial to Sun’s overall practice and conveys her bodhisattva-like approach to making art. “I see my art, including painting and installations, as a service to all,” she says.  

(Click to read the interview)